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Laguna Honda leaders and public press for action as 120‑bed waiver and admissions remain central concerns
Summary
Joint Conference Committee members updated the commission on efforts to restore full skilled‑nursing bed capacity at Laguna Honda, while public commenters urged Mayor and DPH intervention to secure a CMS waiver for 120 beds and called for regular admission and census reporting.
The Laguna Honda Hospital Joint Conference Committee (JCC) and public speakers pressed city officials Monday for stronger, expedited action to secure a waiver for 120 skilled‑nursing beds and to accelerate admissions after the hospital’s Medicare recertification.
Commissioners at the JCC reported that admissions processing times have shortened substantially from several weeks to only a few days, and they described ongoing work to obtain a federal waiver allowing certification of 120 previously idled beds. The committee noted the waiver process is complex and that DPH and Laguna Honda leaders will continue to work with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and California Department of Public Health, aided by the City Attorney’s office, to make the case for restoring the beds.
Public commenters urged more urgent city-level action. A commenter who identified himself as a long-time advocate said that the 120-bed waiver represents roughly 15.6% of Laguna Honda’s skilled-nursing capacity and warned of patient displacement to out-of-county facilities if the beds are lost. He also criticized recent admission trends, citing an item in Laguna Honda’s materials that reported 104 admissions since July 2024 but also described offsetting losses (discharges, deaths and AWOLs) that produced a modest net census increase; the commenter asked for clearer monthly census math and more rapid admissions to offset attrition.
Another remote commenter, a former Laguna Honda clinician, asked the commission to insist on regular updates about the 120-bed waiver status at each commission meeting and to seek assistance from state elected officials. JCC materials shared in open session summarized executive, human resources and regulatory reports; in closed session the committee approved credentials and personnel minutes and discussed an organizational assessment with outside consultants.
Laguna Honda leadership and course-correcting measures were described as priorities: the JCC emphasized filling vacant beds safely and restoring census while continuing the CMS waiver effort. The commission did not act on a policy change Monday but approved consent items from Laguna Honda later in the meeting as part of the regular consent calendar.
Speakers urged that the director and mayor use their influence to secure the waiver, and commissioners said DPH staff would continue to press federal and state partners for approval and to supply more frequent, transparent admission and end‑of‑month census reporting.
No formal waiver decision was made at the meeting; the item remains an ongoing operational priority for Laguna Honda, DPH and the City Attorney’s office.
